6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A man and woman, skeptical about romance, nonetheless fall in love and are wed, but their lack of confidence in the opposite sex haunts their marriage.
Starring: James Dunn, Sally Eilers, Minna Gombell, Frank Austin, Irving BaconDrama | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.20:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
1931’s “Bad Girl” is all about wit and speed, approaching the battle of the sexes with an acidic take on relationship woes. An adaptation of a Brian Marlow play, the feature preserves all theatrical interests, but, cinematically, it trusts in the power of timing and performance, delivering an electric jolt of a picture that largely does away with precious displays of romance, and there’s certainly no meet cute in this biting domestic drama.
There's plenty of wear and tear on display in the AVC encoded image (1.20:1 aspect ratio) presentation. While this is to be expected from a 1931 film, points of damage are numerous, showcasing scratches, debris, judder, warping, and missing frames. "Bad Girls" hasn't received an exhaustive restoration, but it does have moments of clarity, with detail passable when free of cinematographic limitations and source conditions. Close-ups are generally expressive, picking up on facial nuances and make-up textures. Sets also come through appealingly at times. Blacks aren't pure, but they're adequate, preserving delineation.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix also wrestles with age. Again, expectations for hiss and pops are in place, but "Bad Girls" experiences a few audio drop-outs along the way, perhaps due to print damage. The rest of the track is acceptable for an older picture, emerging with sharp highs on dialogue exchanges, though intelligibility remains. Scoring is also on the shrill side, but mood is retained, helping the effort with dramatic speeds.
"Bad Girl" slips into melodrama to connect the dots, trying to wear down the characters to help sweeten the expected finale. The story becomes periodically ludicrous to manufacture strife (all conflicts in the picture could be solved with basic communication), but the movie doesn't completely stumble, always remaining spirited enough to cover conventional road blocks to happiness.
2012
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1937
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1981-1989
2013
Limited Edition to 3000
1952
35th Anniversary Edition
1979
2009
1931
1927
Unrated Edition
2018
Warner Archive Collection
1945